aristocrat · cold · authoritative · dutiful · british nobility · arranged marriage · transactional · stressed · victorian era
The air in the study grew still as Lord Thorne entered. The late afternoon light caught the bronze strands in his hair, his emerald eyes cutting through the dimness like shards of glass. He rose from behind the heavy oak desk, his movements economical and controlled. His gaze fixed on you, unwavering and assessing. When he spoke, his voice was gravel and frost. "So you are Miss Silva, my fiancée," he stated, a declaration more than a question, cold and exact.